Feasibility and acceptability of mobile phone data collection for longitudinal follow-up among patients treated for obstetric fistula in Uganda.

This was a single-site feasibility and acceptability study of 60 women in Uganda, so results may not apply to other settings or populations. There was no comparison group, so the study cannot show that phone follow-up is better than in-person follow-up. The qualitative interviews were not designed to test mobile phone data collection; comments about the phone method arose while participants discussed social support. Some follow-up was not purely by phone: a few participants were seen at the clinic and one was tracked to her home. Phone surveys relied on self-report and could not identify visible signs or symptoms that an in-person interview might detect. Participants were given phones and airtime, so their acceptance of the method may have been influenced by receiving these items. Cost savings did not include the value of person time, and direct mobile costs were compared with estimates rather than actual in-person follow-up costs. Only 30 of 40 invited women completed interviews, and the article focuses on social support rather than all qualitative themes.

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that telephone follow-up improves clinical recovery or is safe enough to replace in-person assessment. The study measured research data collection, not patient care outcomes, and participants noted that phone interviews could miss visible signs or symptoms.